History

York County Alliance for Learning (YCAL) was formed in 1999 as the merger of two organizations with similar missions, the First Capital Compact and School to Work (STW). YCAL's mission is connecting educators and employers to engage students in career education, exploration and development. YCAL's vision is to be the community leader in the facilitation of partnerships and leveraging resources to advance innovative career education and workforce development initiatives. We will connect employers, students, educators, and the community to align the skills and education of the future workforce and employer needs.

In July of 2010, YCAL affiliated with the York County Economic Alliance's(YCEA), Office of Workforce Development. At the end of August 2015 both organizations agreed to discontinue the affiliation. All existing YCAL programming remains in place.

YCAL Accomplishment Highlights

YCAL was a finalist in CPBJ's Non-profit Innovation Awards in both 2011 (Program) and 2014 (Collaboration).

YCAL received a grant in 2010 from Moxie, which included the development of a new logo, a platform for rebranding and renewed community outreach.

Host the Career Education and Work Standards Symposium – In 2011, YCAL hosted the first Career Education and Work Standards Symposium for York County educators. This event focused on the Career Education and Work Standards, Pennsylvania’s academic standards, which include Career Awareness and Preparation; Career Acquisition; Career Retention and Advancement; and Entrepreneurship. Each year the event moves to a different host location, the following schools have hosted the Career Education and Work Standards Symposium: Dallastown Area High School, Spring Grove Area High School, Red Lion Area High School, West York Area Middle School and the York County School of Technology.

Expansion of Career Exploration Programs – Career Exploration Programs, formerly Mentoring programs are after school programs sponsored by York County employers where students spend time with business representatives during the course of the school year to explore a particular career pathway. Career Exploration programs provide hands-on experience, preparation and guidance for students and their future careers. The first program, Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) – Design, was offered in 2004. Since then, the programs expanded to four in 2009 to nine in 2010. In 2011 three new programs were added, bringing the total to twelve. In 2012 the Manufacturing Program was added, bringing the total to thirteen mentoring programs. In 2013 the Health Care Management and Creative Career Programs were added, bringing the total to fifteen mentoring programs. In 2014 the Agriculture and Medical Assistant Programs were added to the list of programs available. During 2014 the Career Exploration programs also began offering one day opportunities for students to experience different careers. In the 2016-2017 School Year YCAL expanded its offering t 25 Career Exploration Programs.

Development of the Career Readiness Education Workshop - Formerly known as the Career Opportunities Program, this program provides students with the opportunity to work with local industry professionals to develop knowledge and skills pertaining to job preparedness. During a county-wide culminating event, students have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions pertaining to the 16 National Career Clusters as well as a Post-Secondary Expo. This is an annual program which began in 2004, and was renamed the Career Readiness Education Workshop in 2017.

Investment in York County Schools/Districts through Innovation Grants – This program provides educators with access to capital to implement classroom innovation regarding career exploration and awareness in the form of seed money grants, up to $1,000 each. Innovation grants were first awarded by YCAL in 2003, and to date, YCAL has awarded over $140,000 to York County educators.

Creation of the Educator in the Workplace Program – This program, created in 1994 and offered every year to-date, connects teachers with the business community. The course provides educators the opportunity to develop an awareness and understanding of integrating the business and education communities, explore and develop innovative instruction practices, and provide relevance while building a capacity to enhance student achievement

Hosting the School Directors' Dinner- The dinner was formerly hosted by the York County Chamber of Commerce, the dinner is now hosted by YCAL. The dinner is an opportunity to honor and thank York County School Board Members and Superintendents for their time and service to students in York County.